KAYSVILLE — After being reborn about a year ago, Davis County’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program is growing.

There are 159 volunteer serving at nearly three-dozen schools, senior activity centers and other sites across the county, said Kristy Cottrell, director of the Senior Services Division of the Davis County Health Department.

After putting a lot of emphasis on re-introducing the program for 55 years-of-age and older senior volunteers, the program is ready to expand, she told the Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board June 6.

A volunteer coordinator should be in place shortly to spearhead recruitment, Cottrell said. In the meantime, existing volunteers provided 30,000 hours of service at 23 sites and logged 74,000 miles as a part of that service.

Many of the volunteers are involved with preparing and delivering Meals on Wheels, which reaches all parts of the county, five days-a-week, she told the group meeting at the Autumn Glow Senior Activity Center in Kaysville.

The program is funded through what was originally a three-year federal grant. But a new directive means the grant must be re-applied for after only two years, Cottrell said.

So far, all similar grants across the state have been approved for continuation, she said.

Part of the program’s mission is promoting healthy futures, including helping seniors live independently. Another goal is to promote literacy. A big volunteer focus is on reading to and with elementary school students.

RSVP provides insurance coverage while seniors are providing their service and also pays a small mileage stipend.

It was previously operated by Volunteers of America Utah, a nonprofit agency based in Salt Lake City. Due to funding cuts, that group suspended the program nearly two years ago.

In its hay day, more than 500 volunteers were serving at about 50 sites from hospitals to schools to Antelope Island State Park.